Annotations and Comedic profile

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2009

Annotation 4

Chatham Mayberry

"Stem Sell." The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Comedy Central. March 16, 2009. Viewed April 1, 2009.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videold=220549&title=Stem-Sell

In this episode of the Daily Show, Jon Stewart and his assistant reporter/ comedian John Oliver comment on President Obama's executive order to reverse President Bush's that stopped funding for stem cell research. Jon Stewart is a television host, comedian, media critic, and political satirist, that has hosted the Daily Show since it started in late 1999. John Oliver joined the Daily Show in July 2006 as the senior British Correspondent. The Daily Show is a political satire show whose purpose is to analyze both politics and the media from a comedic standpoint. In this clip John Oliver makes a Bush impersonation to degrade Obama's action regarding stem cell research, stating that science is not the answer. That religion is more reliable than science, and that this country was founded to be a religious country not a scientific country. John Oliver is commenting on Bush's backward policies about science, by impersonating him as a sort of religious idiot. This piece is a satirical piece, with the second level being a message about how necessary stem cell research is to finding cures for some of the worst diseases out there. The audience of this piece is usually left leaning, meaning they are generally liberal. The audience of this episode would most likely agree with John and Jon in that Obama is doing the right thing to enable government funding of stem cell research. The audience would also agree that Bush's policy of anti-stem cell research was wrong and backward.

Annotation 3

Chatham Mayberry

"Sony Releases New $tupid Piece of Shit that doesn't Fucking Work." The Onion News Network. March 1, 2009. Viewed April 1, 2009.

http://www.comedy.com/embed/sony-releases-new-stupid-piece-of-shit-that-doesn't-fucking-work

In this particular comedic, bogus, and absolutely hilarious report by the Onion News Network on Sony's new product, two reporters, Brandon Armstrong and Jeff Tate, portray this product as worthless. This report was shown on the Onion News Network, a branch of the Onion News Paper. The Onion News Network makes fun of news by reporting news stories that are completely made up, but report them as if they are reporting real, serious events. This seriousness makes this particular clip about the new stupid piece of shit Sony just released, hilarious. This particular report is extremely satirical. The subliminal or second level of this clip is that it is meant to point out how complicated technology. The audience that is watching this clip will be able to identify, because most all of us have had trouble with hooking a gadget up to the television or computer. Coming from personal experience, whenever we try to watch a video in Lit 101, we always have a problem with the sound or hooking the television up with another gadget. Technology can be extremely frustrating sometimes, and that's what this report is trying to play off of. The audience of this piece will most likely agree with the point this report brings, that technology is extremely complicated nowadays and trying to learn how to use new technology is extremely frustrating. 

TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2009

Annotation 2

"1997 Flashback."  The Colbert Report. Comedy Central. February 29, 2009. Viewed April 1, 2009.

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/219665/february-24-2009/1997-flashback

The main actor/ producer of "The Colbert Report" on Comedy Central is Stephen Colbert. Before starting the Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert was a correspondent on the news parody show, "The Daily Show" which starred John Stewart. The Colbert Report airs on Comedy Central where it is one of it's premium shows. In this clip, Stephen Colbert is basically making fun of how decrepit technology was back in 1997, and how much more advanced technology is today than it was 12 years ago. Colbert is making fun of the technological prowess of 1997, through his own experience. In the clip, Colbert satirizes the slowness of dial-up internet. Dial-up was a technology we all had to endure back in 1997, and Colbert plays on his personal frustration with dial-up by having his mom call while he was on the internet, thus disconnecting the dial-up service. By filming this, Stephen Colbert is portraying to the audience how far technology has come since the dial up days of 1997. This clip serves a mocking yet insightful purpose. It is meant to mock the technology of 1997 yet it also serves to show just how far technology has come in 12 years. This clip allows us to take a step back and appreciate how lucky we are today to have the technology we currently possess. This clip was meant to entertain, and the audience it was meant to entertain  includes everybody of all ages, who have access to a television. The audience will likely see this show, and be taken aback by how far technology has come in 12 years.

Comedian Profile

Larry David

Notable Works

- Co-creator of the television series "Seinfeld"

- Creator of "Curb Your Enthusiasm"

- Wrote and starred in ABC's "Friday's"

Notable Achievements

- won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 1993

Five Themes common throughout his work

1) Absurdity

2) Humor

3) Alienation

4) Friendship

5) Nihilism (belief that life is pointless)

Chatham Mayberry

"Everything's Amazing: Nobody's Happy." Late Night with Conan O'Brian. NBC. October 2, 2008. Viewed March 31, 2009.

http://www.nbc.com/Late_Night_with_Conan_O'Brien/video/clips/everythings-amazing-nobodys-happy-10208/1049744/

The comedian being interviewed on Late Night with Conan O'Brian is known as Louis C.K. This particular interview took place on the NBC television show "Late Night with Conan O'Brian." This show/ venue is a comedy show that centers around Conan O'Brian, but every show Conan O'Brian interviews a new guest. On this particular show, Louis CK and Conan O'Brian are discussing societies ignorance of how intricate and amazing technology is in today's society. Louis CK talks mostly about his past experiences/ observations of how ignorant people can be when it comes to technology. Louis CK and Conan O'Brian are trying to make the audience realize how easy we have it with all of the miraculous technology that surrounds us. The two of them are attempting to make the audience appreciate all of the technology we take for granted. The purpose of this interview is to be insightful through a comedic voice. An interview like this is designed to make people step back and appreciate all the little things in life. In this case, so people will appreciate all of the technology that we use in our everyday life. The audience this is intended for is anyone who has access to technology all around the world. The people who generally watch this show, middle-aged adults looking for some entertainment right before they go to bed at night. The audience watching "Late Night with Conan O'Brian" most likely will be indifferent to what Louis CK is talking about. Why should they take the time to be thankful for the technology they have when they are already too busy.